Newsletter

High schools alter NCAA penalty for targeting rule

UIL, coaches agree to waive rule where ejections carry over to next game

One of the most heated discussions from Big 12 Football Media Days last week in Dallas was the new targeting rule, which carries with it an ejection penalty that could carry over from one game to the next.

The University Interscholastic League, which follows NCAA rules and annually evaluates the new rules changes made by the NCAA, will follow the new targeting rule with one exception.

The penalty for targeting in the NCAA carries with it an ejection rule: A player tossed in the first half misses the rest of the game; a player ejected in the second half misses the remainder of the game, plus the first half of the next. Under UIL rules, the ejection will not carry over to the next game regardless of when the foul occurred.

“In reference to targeting, because it is a safety issue, there was a recommendation from our rules committee that we not make an exception to the rule itself,” UIL Athletic Director Dr. Mark Cousins said. “But we are going to mitigate the penalty. The targeting foul will still be called the same way it’s called (in the NCAA), but the penalty will not carry over to the next game under any circumstances.”

Targeting will be a 15-yard penalty and an ejection of the player guilty of the targeting, the parameters of which include leading with the crown of the helmet, contact above the shoulders and leaving the feet to make a tackle.

The rule has caused consternation for coaches because of how much of a judgment call the penalty seems to be, and that consistency from call to call has been unclear.

One of the reasons for diluting the ejection phase of the penalty at the high school level was the lack of a review process with instant replay, which can be used to review targeting calls in college.

“That was one of the main topics of discussion,” Cousins said. “That’s the same thing we’re seeing with some of the (Division II and Division III schools). They have the same concerns because they don’t necessarily have the same abilities to make exceptions that we’re able to do.”

Add another one

Starting in 2014, classes 4A through 2A will go to the split-division playoff system similar to what is currently used in 2A and 1A, where schools will be aligned for the playoffs before the regular season instead of afterward.

Class 6A (currently 5A) and 5A (currently 4A) will remain the same, with playoff seeds determined after the final regular season games. Six-man, what will be known next season as 1A, already uses the split-division system.

This season, 3A and 2A will begin sending four teams to the postseason. That doesn’t affect 2A in terms of scheduling during playoffs, but for 3A Division I, it adds a week to the postseason.

Therefore, all 10 11-man state championships will now be held on the same weekend. Previously, the 3A Division I title game was held the week prior. Cousins said that has caused some logistical problems with all the games being held on the same weekend and at the same site, which has been Cowboys — now AT&T — Stadium for the past two seasons.

“Our schools and members of the UIL as well as members of the public and the coaches association have been pleased with the venue at (AT&T Stadium in Arlington),” Cousins said. “It’s something that’s been a real exciting opportunity for our schools and so it’s something that we’re looking forward to moving forward on.”

Cousins said a set venue for the 2013 championships has yet to be determined.

Mack the enforcer

University of Texas coach Mack Brown says he is deeply concerned about the amount of rule-bending he perceives taking place when it comes to recruiting.

In the past, he’s not been one to call light to the matter in terms of individual cases. But he said that’s about to change.

Speaking to the media at the Texas High School Coaches Association annual coaching school in Fort Worth, Brown said the American Football Coaches Association and the NCAA are working together to try to put some sense into recruiting rules, “because they’re all over the place right now.”

To that end, Brown vows to make the NCAA aware of more violations.

“I’ve never turned people in, and I’m going to start,” Brown said. “I’m going to start doing it right now because, to me, we’ve got to stop it. We don’t want to get to be pro football. There’s so much money involved in college football ... some coaches are taking shortcuts. It’s always happened, but more and more because the ability to win is really important. The staff and I will turn them in if we see them.”

Brown said he has recommended that if a coach has more than a few words with a recruit outside of “hello” during a non-contact period that that coach be suspended for two games.

“I’m going to turn him in and get him off the field on Saturdays, and he’ll be more careful when he sits down with (recruits),” Brown said.